The Blue Moon Day | Santhosh Sivaraj |Book Review

The Blue Moon Day

PLOT: 4/5
CHARACTERS: 3/5
WRITING STYLE: 3.5/5
CLIMAX: 3.5/5
ENTERTAINMENT QUOTIENT: 4/5

My Musings

When you are a reviewer who reads multiple books in a week, there are many things that happen to you differently. The worst thing, however, is that a book that may be refreshing to most readers might just be another cliché to you. Being a voracious reader definitely means a certain reduction in your capacity to be surprised.

However, there are some books that still manage to make the cut. One such book that I read recently is Santhosh Sivaraj’s The Blue Moon Day. Read on to know my thoughts about this book.

What should a reader expect?

The Blue Moon Day is a collection of 5 short stories which are bound together by a common thread.

Individually, they are tales of 5 different men who managed to change their lives, discover the meaning and purpose of their existence and eventually turn their lives around.

Collectively, they are tales which answer many unasked questions – What is the meaning of life? What is happiness? How can it be achieved? Is money everything? What should be the goal of one’s life?

The stories as they go

The best part of The Blue Moon Day is its vivid stories all of which are set in different locations. They talk of different people, take us to different locations and deal with varied situations.

While one story is of a hopeless old man who has lost everything in life, the other talks about a highly talented and upcoming athlete who just recently got to know about a fatal brain tumour.

While one story is of a guy who is struggling to land a decent job, the other talks about a guy who is somehow wrecking a perfectly happy marriage.

What strikes you particularly is how commonplace these characters are and how easily they could have been one of us(readers).

The characters are vivid and diverse

The characters in the book are decent. More attention is devoted to the storylines and their underlying lessons than character development.

It would be safe to say that character development is one area where The Blue Moon Day requires more effort. The characters have a sense of superficiality and incompleteness and they certainly lack depth.

Given that this is not a full-length novel but a collection of short stories, this particular aspect can be slightly overlooked.

Lessons to be learned and food for thought

More than entertainment, The Blue Moon Day gives you food for thought. These are questions that will demand answers, make you ponder over them, make you ask yourself some uncomfortable questions, and make you discover things about yourself that you never knew existed.

All in all, it’s a highly inspiring read that should be read by people who like inspirational books.

Let’s talk about the author’s writing style

When it comes to the writing style, I found the book pretty plain and dreary. The writing lacks maturity and finesse. The narration isn’t crisp and compelling. It somehow pulls down the beauty of those wonderful short stories.

Yet, it isn’t so bad as to completely overshadow the best aspects of this book.

It all boils down to the entertainment quotient

The Blue Moon Day is definitely entertaining. The stories have the perfect length – neither too short to be abrupt and unappealing, nor too long to be dull or boring. The author’s rich imagination and storytelling abilities make us live 5 wonderful lives in a short span of 200 odd pages.

The final verdict

The Blue Moon Day is a book that has a perfect balance of drama, emotions, action, motivation, adventure and entertainment. It might not come across as a brilliantly written book. But what the author lacks in maturity is more than compensated by his vivid imagination and the life lessons that the book has for all its readers.

Skip the book if

  • If you are looking for a very literary read.
  • If you don’t like short stories.

Pick the book if

  • You are looking for an inspirational read.
  • If you are tired of your mundane life and you are looking for a paradigm shift.
  • If you are searching for meaning in life and seeking answers to existential questions.
  • If you are a reader looking for a book that is easy, light, entertaining and motivational at the same time.

Can’t wait to read it? Buy a copy of The Blue Moon Day using the link below.

Amazon

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